There's a town on Namibia's Atlantic coast that looks as though someone has uprooted a small German seaside resort and deposited it at the edge of the desert. Its brightly painted buildings cling to rocky hillsides, a Lutheran church overlooks the harbour and beyond the last houses stretches one of the world's oldest deserts. The nearest thing to a traditional beach holiday involves a great deal of wind.

Welcome to Lüderitz, one of Africa's most unusual cruise ports, where the cold Atlantic meets the Namib Desert and a long-abandoned diamond-mining town is slowly disappearing beneath the sand.

Better still, you can actually get here by cruise ship. Oceania Sirena is scheduled to visit twice in February 2027, offering a rare opportunity to explore a corner of Namibia that remains well outside the usual tourist circuit.

Lüderitz: a little piece of Germany on the Atlantic

Lüderitz owes much of its appearance to Namibia's period under German colonial rule, which began in 1884. Its streets contain an unlikely collection of Art Nouveau villas, steeply pitched roofs and pastel-coloured buildings, many dating from the diamond boom of the early twentieth century.

The most conspicuous landmark is Felsenkirche, a stone Lutheran church perched above the town, while nearby Goerke Haus is an elaborate former merchant's residence, complete with stained glass and decorative flourishes that suggest its owner wasn't particularly troubled by the cost of building materials.

But Lüderitz's architectural charm comes with a history that deserves more than a passing mention. German colonial rule brought violent dispossession and the genocide of the Herero and Nama peoples. On Shark Island, at the edge of town, German authorities operated a concentration camp between 1905 and 1907, where prisoners died from disease, hunger, exposure and forced labour. The site is now an important place of remembrance.

Understanding this history makes Lüderitz a more meaningful place to visit. Its handsome buildings are part of the story, but so are the people whose lives were devastated by the colonial system that financed them.

Kolmanskop: the ghost town being reclaimed by the desert

Around 10km inland lies the extraordinary abandoned town of Kolmanskop, one of Namibia's most arresting sights.

It began with the discovery of diamonds in 1908. Prospectors descended on the desert, and a remarkably wealthy settlement emerged from the sand, complete with grand houses, a hospital, a ballroom and facilities that would have seemed extravagant almost anywhere, never mind somewhere with such a limited supply of drinking water.

For a while, life here was enormously profitable. Then richer diamond deposits were discovered elsewhere, residents gradually departed and the desert began repossessing the property.

Today, dunes spill through open doorways and rise against peeling walls. In some rooms, sand has climbed almost to the windowsills; elsewhere, the remains of painted interiors emerge from the drifts. It's astonishingly beautiful, although the former residents might have had mixed feelings about what has become of their sitting rooms.

Kolmanskop is now a controlled visitor attraction within Namibia's restricted diamond-mining territory. You'll need a permit, which can be purchased through the official operator, Ghost Town Tours. Standard guided tours run at 9.30am and 11am from Monday to Saturday, with a 10am tour on Sundays and public holidays. Special arrangements are available for groups.

It's easily the most compelling excursion from Lüderitz, but timing matters. The site normally closes to standard-permit visitors at 1pm, so passengers arriving later in the morning should arrange their visit in advance rather than assuming they'll have all afternoon to explore.

What else can you see from Lüderitz cruise port?

If you'd rather stay closer to the coast, Lüderitz has plenty to reward a shorter visit. The rocky peninsula around Diaz Point, approximately 20km from town, offers dramatic Atlantic scenery and a monument commemorating Portuguese navigator Bartolomeu Dias, who reached this coastline in 1488. It's a wonderfully exposed landscape of granite outcrops, crashing waves and wind that can make standing upright feel like an achievement.

The surrounding waters are also home to Cape fur seals and African penguins, particularly around Halifax Island. Local boat excursions offer opportunities to observe the wildlife, although sightings and departures depend on conditions.

Back in town, the waterfront makes a pleasant place to explore independently. Fishing remains an important part of Lüderitz's economy, and the cold Benguela Current supports a local seafood industry, including oyster farming.

It's worth allowing time simply to wander the historic streets, admire the unusual architecture and take in the contrast between the colourful houses, bare surrounding hills and slate-blue Atlantic.

Can you visit Lüderitz on a cruise in 2027?

Yes, although the itineraries are considerably more ambitious than a typical week in the Mediterranean.

Oceania's 24-day Mystical Atlantic Africa voyage aboard Sirena sails from Lisbon on 14 January 2027, travelling down Africa's western coastline through destinations including Senegal, The Gambia, Ghana, Togo and São Tomé. After calling at Walvis Bay, it reaches Lüderitz on 5 February, with a scheduled visit from 10am to 7pm, before finishing in Cape Town.

The return sailing, Gold & Ivory Coasts, departs Cape Town on 7 February and visits Lüderitz on 9 February, from 7am to 5pm, before continuing north towards Lisbon.

For anyone particularly keen on Kolmanskop, the second itinerary has an advantage. Its earlier arrival gives passengers more time to reach the ghost town during normal visiting hours. On the 5 February call, the scheduled 10am arrival makes the standard 11am tour difficult to rely on, particularly if disembarkation takes time. A prearranged excursion would be the sensible option.

Lüderitz's small commercial port also means passengers should check whether their ship will dock alongside or use tenders, as arrangements can affect the time available ashore. The town itself is relatively compact, but Kolmanskop and Diaz Point require transport. If you have one full port day, I'd prioritise the ghost town and leave enough time afterwards to explore Lüderitz on foot.

Is Lüderitz worth visiting on a cruise?

Absolutely, particularly if you're drawn to destinations with a history that goes beyond the conventional sightseeing circuit.

There are more famous places to visit in Namibia, from the towering dunes of Sossusvlei to the wildlife of Etosha National Park. But Lüderitz offers something wonderfully particular: a working Atlantic port, extraordinary desert landscapes, a complicated colonial history and an abandoned diamond town that seems to be gradually vanishing before our eyes.

And there's a certain satisfaction in arriving somewhere that most visitors to Namibia never reach, especially when the alternative would involve an eight-hour drive across the desert.

For once, letting the ship do the travelling seems an excellent idea.